THE HOTTEST STITCH
KNITTING AND NEEDLEWORK HAVE CAPTIVATED THE DIY SET LATELY, AND NO EMBROIDERY PATTERN HAS GOTTEN MORE RECOGNITION THAN THE ZIG-ZAGGY FLAME STITCH

Everyone loves a good comeback, and lately, the whimsical feel of zigzags. So it’s no wonder the flame stitch, a jagged embroidery pattern born centuries ago, is heating up in home décor.

Closely related to the brick stitch, the Florentine Stitch and the Hungarian Stitch, the flame stitch motif falls under the broader category of Bargello, a form of needlepoint embroidery that traditionally involves a series of vertical stitches. Earliest examples of the flame stitch have been traced back to the 1600s, and most recently, the design picked up popularity in the 1970s.

Patterns and Palettes

This time around, the pattern that’s popping up again on throw pillows, rugs and even wallpaper is far from the avocado and burnt orange zig-zags that decorated granny’s sofa.

“One of the best ways to reinterpret flame stitch or any trend we’ve seen in decades past is to use unexpected color palettes,” says Matt Heincker, an Indianapolis-based interior designer at Heincker Design. Think turquoise and citrus, he suggests, instead of earth tones. “That is the signal to your brain that it’s a fresh interpretation.”

Harness the Flame

The pattern’s boldness can intimidate people, Heincker says. “Start small,” he suggests, with a flame stitched pillow or blanket. “Then when it’s in the space, people think it’s exciting and fun.”

But for those who aren’t scared? “You can go nuts with it. I think it looks exciting on a traditional piece of furniture, like a wingback chair. It’s that juxtaposition of old and new that makes it feel fresh.”

That juxtaposition adds to the appeal of the flame stitch, designers and embroidery artists alike agree. “It’s a pattern that does embody something very exotic and very classical at the same time,” says Jenny Hart, a Los Angeles-based embroidery artist, founder of website Sublime Stitching and author of a book by the same name. “It’s both ancient and psychedelic. It looks outrageous but it’s so old. I don’t think a lot of patterns can do that.”

Era of Embroidery

But what makes this embroidery-based design and other geometrical patterns like it popular now? Hart points to the recent resurgence of needlework.

“I think it’s cyclical,” she says. “The last time there was really a big interest and boom in needlework was in the ’70s. Then in the ’80s and ’90s, the last thing you were doing was sewing or doing crafts because that’s also when there was the heyday of the mall.”

In its absence, people became curious about needlework again, Hart says. Even those not participating in the craft got a renewed interest in the patterns that emerge from it. “I think since there has been such an interest in knitting and sewing and embroidering, it makes people more interested in bringing it into their home décor and seeing it reflected in the fabric.”

The online craft movement has played a role, too, says Alicia Paulson, a Portland craft designer and author of “Embroidery Companion: Classic Designs for Modern Living” (Potter Craft, 2010).

“It’s so much easier for people to find patterns and gain inspiration and become part of a community that in the past was probably a little more isolated,” Paulson says. “I feel like the online community has really fostered that experience for people.”